My previous post discussed playing the drums in an open-handed position. This is when the arms do not cross over each other to play the hi-hat and snare drum. For right handed players, this means the left hand is on the hi-hat and the right is on the snare drum. Some people have played this way for quite a while and it’s become quite natural and comfortable. Others (like me) have tried this and are able to play some grooves, but not everything.
The cool thing for me are the possibilities that open up to open-handed drummers! When my left hand is on my hi-hat, the entire rest of my drum set is easily available to my right hand. There are so many options here — cowbells, toms, floor toms, bells of cymbals, a second (closed or remote) hi-hat, etc. I really like playing the hi-hat and the snare drum with my left hand which allows the right hand to think in a totally different way. My right hand does “think” differently just naturally anyway, so when I free it from the time-keeping duties of the hi-hat and the snare, then some fun things can happen. Give it try and let me know what you find!
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